Brothers of War
by Bixata
Summary: JackTeal'c friendship. Before their first mission Jack and Teal'c spend some time together discussing candles and pizza. Follows the development of their friendship over time.
1. Chapter 1

Brothers of War

Teal'c was just arousing from his meditative state of kelnoreem when there was a loud knock on the door to his private quarters. He had only been on the world of the Tau'ri for a couple of week now but Colonel O'Neill had managed to convince the others in his military and government that Teal'c was an honorable warrior on their side and would not betray them. Although he was confined to the base of the Stargate Command he was allowed to leave his quarters without a guard.

Teal'c had proven his loyalty but unfortunately the cost had been high, especially to O'Neill, a man he respected and admired. There was something about this particular human's spirit, a fire in his eyes and passion in his heart that had immediately called out to Teal'c. This was a warrior who fought for a noble cause yet knew the darkness of war.

The human woman Captain Carter was still unwittingly naïve, and the other man Daniel Jackson seemed as innocent and idealistic as a child who was struggling with great loss. A loss to which Teal'c had contributed, and yet, this human had already seemed to forgive him, had considered him as much a victim of Apophis as Daniel's wife Sha're now was.

Yet despite their inexperience they both had the same spirit as O'Neill, they both knew and expected freedom and that was something Teal'c craved for his people.

Teal'c struggled to understand the ways of the Tau'ri. He found it difficult to relate to their sense of naivety but in O'Neill he had found a kindred spirit, a brother-in-arms. Already the man had fought on his behalf, and done battle with his own people to ensure Teal'c's safety and freedom. And somehow he had even secured a place on his own team, SG-1, for him.

Teal'c had been indirectly responsible for the death of O'Neill's friend, Major Kawalsky, with O'Neill himself having to give the order to terminate his life. He knew it was difficult for O'Neill to do so, but Teal'c now knew that his soon-to-be team leader would do whatever had to be done to protect his friends, the people under his command, and his planet.

Both warriors were able to assign the blame to its rightful place, to the Goa'uld who had taken over control of Major Kawalsky. O'Neill did not blame Teal'c for his part in his friend's death, but Teal'c could see how much the loss of his friend had hurt O'Neill. There was nothing he could do.

Teal'c glanced at the door and began to stand up as he said in a loud voice, "Enter." He hoped that was the appropriate response.

The door opened quickly and he recognized O'Neill, who was carrying a large, but thin square, white box that carried a pleasant odor of some kind of unrecognizable food. There was definitely some kind of meat.

O'Neill blinked into the blackness of the room, seeing that Teal'c had turned off the lights. "Oh, hey, sorry Teal'c. I didn't mean to wake you. I can come back later if you like."

"You did not wake me, O'Neill. Jaffa do not require sleep." He flipped the light switch to illuminate the room.

"Really? Sweet. So what do you do at night? With the lights off?" O'Neill entered the room and closed the door behind him, setting the box down on the bed and shoving his hands into his pockets.

"I rest, allowing my symbiote to do the necessary repairs to maintain my health."

"And it has to be dark to do that?" O'Neill waved his hand at the lights above.

"Darkness is not required but I prefer less illumination than is offered in this setting."

"Ah." O'Neill looked around thoughtfully. "You know, we could probably set you up with something. It is kind of drab in here. How about a lamp, or maybe some candles?"

Inwardly, Teal'c smiled at the thought of having candles. They would be perfect. "Candles would be acceptable."

"I'll see what I can do about that. Would you want the smelly kind or…" he trailed off as he glanced at Teal'c. "Nah, we'll get you the unscented. Definitely wouldn't want you smelling like autumn celebration, or spring water or peach mango or…" he trailed off again and shrugged. Teal'c often found O'Neill's mannerisms amusing. How would one smell like an autumn celebration?

"Unscented candles would be satisfactory." Teal'c informed him.

O'Neill clapped his hands together and rubbed them vigorously for a moment. "Excellent. Anything else I can help you with? I don't mean to be a critic but this room sure could use an interior decorator."

Teal'c raised an inquiring eyebrow.

"Never mind." O'Neill shifted nervously from foot to foot, but Teal'c knew it had nothing to do with discomfort towards Teal'c himself. O'Neill did not fear him, had trusted him almost immediately, and though he was clearly disgusted by the symbiote Teal'c carried he had nothing against Teal'c himself. He was also the only human who never seemed to mind Teal'c's quiet and often overbearing silence.

"Did you have something you wished to discuss, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked. Sure, he like the silence, but O'Neill was obviously struggling with whatever he had come here to do.

"Actually, I though you might like some company. Or I would. Or…" he trailed off again, his final words mumbled so that Teal'c couldn't even begin to understand them. "The truth is I'd like to get to know you better, seeing as we're going to be teammates and all. I brought pizza." O'Neill exclaimed excitedly as he picked up the box and pulled back the top, revealing a circular object within, cut through the middle at various angles to create triangular slices.

"Pizza?" Teal'c inquired.

"It's food. Great stuff, American tradition, so to speak. You'll love it, I promise." He knelt down on the floor and set the box down in front of him, waving for Teal'c to join him. Teal'c sat down with his legs crossed and watched O'Neill pick up a slice, pulling at the long strings of cheese until they broke and placing them on top. "Go on," he encouraged and took a bit bite, smiling as he chewed.

Teal'c picked up a slice of his own and studied it warily. He sniffed it and decided he like the smell and took a bite. His eyes locked with O'Neill's as they chewed and swallowed.

"Well?"

Teal'c was ecstatic. It was delicious, better than anything he'd ever had before, even his wife's own cooking. But he simply replied, "I find this pizza to be agreeable."

O'Neill gave him a knowing smirk, then scoffed, "Agreeable? That's all you've got to say? It's agreeable? I'll bet it's more than agreeable, and you're just too stoic to admit you enjoyed it." He grinned at his companion and made a great show of enjoying his next bite.

It was rare to find someone who understood him so well, and that much more surprising that it was a human rather than a Jaffa. "It is quite pleasing," he admitted.

O'Neill's grin became exceedingly smug. "Now there, was that so hard to admit?" he asked as he took another bite. "It comes with different toppings but I thought we'd start out simple with just pepperoni. We'll try something different next time."

Teal'c was glad there was going to be a next time.

They ate the rest of the pizza in silence, with Teal'c marveling over the wonder that was pepperoni pizza and savoring every bite.

"Thank you, O'Neill," he said once the pizza was gone.

"Yeah, don't mention it." O'Neill flinched then added, "Seriously. Don't mention it. I kind of smuggled it down here. Air Force doesn't really like us eating so good. Can you imagine what shape we'd be in if we had access to food like this all the time? Talk about your beached whales."

Teal'c raised an eyebrow at the unusual reference, understanding the implied sentiment but not the actual words.

"Never mind. So. I'll see about getting those candles in here for you." O'Neill rose to his feet and gathered up the pizza box and crumbs. "Just let me know if you need anything, Teal'c. Anything at all, don't hesitate to ask, okay?"

Teal'c acknowledged the offer with a slight bow of his head.

"Okay then. Well, maybe you Jaffa don't need sleep but I certainly do, especially since it's our first official mission tomorrow. I'll come by and get you in time for the briefing. Good night, Teal'c."

Teal'c considered the strange farewell, but decided that he like it. "Good night, O'Neill."

It was well worth it to see O'Neill's huge smile. "I think you're going to fit in nicely around here, Teal'c," he said as he closed the door behind him.

Although not much had been said between them, this strange ritual had brought them closer together. They hadn't mentioned Kawalsky or the Goa'uld or the uphill struggle they both knew was coming but just being in each other's company had cemented the roots of their friendship.

Teal'c had no doubt that O'Neill would return with the promised candles and perhaps a pizza every once in a while. He would try to understand the strange Tau'ri customs and behavior without judgment. And together they would fight each other's battles with the Goa'uld, to free the Jaffa and to find Sha're and Ska'ara and return them to Abydos. Neither knew if they would truly accomplish their goals, but knowing that they weren't in it alone gave them strength and hope that one day they might succeed.

O'Neill was more than just a man. He was a man with ideals, with realistic dreams and simple pleasures. He was a man with pizza. Teal'c was a man with an optimistic but noble dream, with no concerns for his present comfort, only a hope for the future.

But one day soon, they would be brothers, sharing the simple pleasures as friends and the hardship of battle as brothers of war.

* * *

Author's Note: This was meant to be a oneshot but if you're interested I've got more stories to tell. The Jack/Teal'c friendship in the first few seasons always seemed so amazing to me, that they became so close so quickly. Let me know if you'd like me to continue.

Bixata


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Okay, I've decided to continue this because there's just so much material for their friendship and not that many stories about it. I don't know how frequently I'll be posting, but they'll mostly be a series of oneshots or episode tags, so they can be read separately. I hope you enjoy them.

-Bixata

Spoilers: The Broca Divide, minor Bloodlines

* * *

Teal'c sat with his legs crossed on the bed in his private quarters, contemplating the events of the previous days. SG-1 had traveled to a planet where some of the inhabitants were infected by a parasitical virus that suppressed…that made the humans act like primitives.

At first, Daniel Jackson had seemed to be immune so the two of them had returned to the planet in search of a cure. And he had lost Daniel Jackson, he had allowed his teammate to be taken by the primitives. O'Neill had entrusted the younger man to his care and he had failed. He watched as O'Neill overcame the effects of the illness, his mind and body struggling so hard to do what was needed to be done to help his people, yet with his own perfect health he had not even been able to save Daniel Jackson.

Fortunately he had completed the mission and brought back the necessary blood samples for Dr. Fraiser to find a cure, and they had returned to the planet to rescue Daniel Jackson, but at the time he thought he had been responsible for the death of yet another of O'Neill's close friends.

Teal'c was aware of the close bond between O'Neill and Daniel Jackson, a friendship forged during their victory against Ra. Daniel Jackson now looked to O'Neill for guidance in his search for his lost wife, as Teal'c looked to O'Neill for help in freeing his people and redeeming himself.

O'Neill carried a great burden, and he bore it well. He never once wavered from his task, offering support and comfort to Daniel Jackson, strength and understanding to Teal'c, and acceptance and latitude to Captain Carter. He balanced his duties as a leader and a friend with great care, somehow knowing which role was needed at every moment.

Teal'c expected him any minute now.

Teal'c had begun to look forward to O'Neill's visits as much as he looked forward to their missions offworld. His leader…no, his friend always brought something of his world to share, generally food of some kind but sometimes pictures of his world or games to pass the time.

He wondered what new experience would be offered today. Most of Teal'c's time was devoted to learning to read and write the language of the Tau'ri that he had previously only spoken. Daniel Jackson had given him a few lessons but O'Neill had been the one to truly help him, transcribing Teal'c's verbal reports at first, despite his duly noted hatred of paperwork, and then looking over Teal'c's shoulder as he wrote them by hand then typed them on the computer. It was a painstaking process and Teal'c knew the Colonel was 'bored out of his skull' (though he could not comprehend how one could manage such a feat) but neither man complained.

There was the knock on the door and Teal'c smiled at how well he knew his friend then cleared his face of the emotion and said, "Enter."

O'Neill flung the door open and Teal'c could see the huge smile on his friend's face. "Heya, Teal'c. Come on, you're in for a real treat today." He didn't wait for Teal'c to acknowledge him as he turned and started to move away, allowing him to catch up.

Teal'c was surprised to see two airmen on either side of a large black box on a wheeled cart move into his now vacated room. He was about to ask O'Neill what they were doing when the man grinned and told him, "They'll have that set up in a few minutes but in the meantime…you and I are going topside." His smile grew ever more.

"General Hammond has not given me clearance to leave this base." Teal'c informed him dutifully.

"I know, I know, but I managed to get you a few minutes in the sun. It's a gorgeous day and after all you've done for us I don't think it's too much to let you at least see the world you're helping to defend."

Teal'c said nothing, but his gratitude was heartfelt.

They stepped into the elevator and O'Neill pulled out a hat, similar to the one he often wore on missions and handed it to him. Teal'c took it curiously and O'Neill pointed at the gold tattoo on his forehead.

"Better cover up. Folks upstairs don't know what we do yet. It's a dead giveaway."

Teal'c put on the hat and was glad that it was much more comfortable and practical than the serpent helmet of his former uniform.

The doors opened and they stepped out. O'Neill signed out at the desk and exchanged pleasantries with the men there who handed him a small plastic package with a strap which O'Neill slung over his shoulder.

"Have fun, sir."

O'Neill smiled at the men. "You know it." Then he guided Teal'c to another elevator to continue to the surface, where they signed out once again.

As soon as it appeared, Teal'c looked up into the bright, blue sky of Earth. There was nothing particularly remarkable about it, he had been to many worlds and they all looked the same at first glance. There was just the one sun to distinguish it from Chulak but otherwise it was just like home.

"It is indeed a pleasant day," he admitted to O'Neill.

"It sure is." O'Neill agreed as he led him outside and onto the grass then up the slight incline to the top of the mountain.

Once they reached the top O'Neill sprawled out on his back on the ground, looking up at the sky. "So. What do you think about my neck of the woods?"

Teal'c cast an appraising gaze over the valley below, trying to interpret O'Neill's strange phrase. "It is a peaceful and vibrant world, O'Neill. Thank you for sharing it with me."

O'Neill smiled again. "My pleasure, Teal'c. In fact, we're not done yet." O'Neill opened the package the guard at the desk had given him and pulled out a smaller object wrapped in plastic. He removed the plastic and handed the object to Teal'c who recognized what appeared to be chocolate on a stick. "It's called ice cream, or in this case, a chocolate covered vanilla ice cream bar. There's nothing better than ice cream on a hot summer day. It's cold and it will melt if you don't eat it quickly, so dig in."

Teal'c accepted the ice cream treat and looked at it curiously as O'Neill opened a package of his own and took a bite, showing Teal'c the inside of the bar.

So they sat on the top of Cheyenne Mountain and ate their ice cream bars in silence. When they were done O'Neill gathered up the trash and tossed it in the plastic bag. Then he sprawled out on his back again, his hands behind his head. Teal'c was tempted to lie down as well but refrained.

O'Neill seemed so relaxed, so calm and at ease. He reminded Teal'c of his own son Rya'c. He had an almost childlike innocence and sense of wonder at this moment that Teal'c did not normally associate with his team leader.

"My son used to like to find shapes in the clouds." O'Neill said suddenly, and pointed straight above him. "Rubber ducky."

Teal'c looked up at the clouds but could discern no particular shape that would give him any idea what a rubber ducky was. "You have a son?"

This fact surprised Teal'c. O'Neill spent nearly all his time at the SGC and had never mentioned anything about his family. But then again, Teal'c hadn't said anything about Drey'auc and Rya'c either, for good reason.

He watched as O'Neill nearly shut down and what happiness that had once shown so freely from his face was replaced with sorrow and pain. "I had a son. He died."

Teal'c wished there was something he could say to help his friend, but he knew there was nothing that would redeem such a loss. He wanted to tell O'Neill about Rya'c, to share that part of his life with his friend, to reveal as much of himself as O'Neill had revealed to him, but he could not take the risk, even though he trusted O'Neill with his life.

He could almost understand O'Neill's passion now. There is much to be said for a man who fights for a cause and has nothing to lose. O'Neill had much pain in his heart, and he concealed it with work, just as Teal'c attempted to make up for all the evil he had done by joining SG-1 in their noble fight. Perhaps they were not so different.

"His name was Charlie." O'Neill spoke after a long moment of silence.

"I believe I would have liked to have met him." Teal'c admitted quietly, allowing a touch of sorrow into his voice for his friend's loss.

"He'd have liked you, Teal'c. All that Jaffa warrior stoicism."

O'Neill was quiet after that and Teal'c allowed him his moment of silence to work though his feelings. He looked up at the sky. After a few seconds he could distinguish the shape of the head of a certain animal. He pointed it out to O'Neill. "I believe it to be the head of an equine."

O'Neill snorted with laughter and looked over at Teal'c. "Yeah, we call it a horse." He glanced down at the watch on his wrist and frowned. "Normally on a day like this…" he looked up at the clouds "…wild horses couldn't drag me away. But we've got to get you back before Hammond sends out the search parties. Besides, I've got another surprise for you back in your quarters."

They returned to Teal'c's quarters and he stared at the strange contraption. He was alarmed when O'Neill pressed a button on a small, handheld object and a moving image appeared on the flat screen. It was soon replaced by a man's face, reminding him of the long range communication devices used by Apophis.

"It's called television. Welcome to Earth culture 101. First up…hockey."

They spent the rest of the evening observing various sporting events, with O'Neill explaining each game and the various teams involved. They did not talk about their last mission and Teal'c's failure to protect Daniel Jackson, nor did they mention O'Neill's susceptibility to the illness and his violent behavior.

Teal'c was almost happy.


End file.
